Coming Back
by HarryGinnyDxC
Summary: Set post-Season 6, spoilers ahead! Annie has just finished her summer internship with the FBI in DC and has accepted a job there. Which means she'll be staying in DC. She goes back to Greendale hoping to break the news to Jeff, help him with his alcoholism, and return to DC, but things don't always go according to plan... T for now, may turn into M depending on what happens.
1. Chapter 1

Annie shuffled around her small apartment, triple checking that she had packed everything she would need for her trip back to Greendale. She didn't pack much; she needed to be back in DC in two weeks to start her new job with the FBI. She had done so well interning that summer that the agency had offered her a full time job. The pay was pretty great, and more importantly she was able to finally have a fulfilling job. Despite how amazing she knew the new job would be, she couldn't help but feel guilty. She _had_ meant to return to Greendale; she never thought that the internship would go as well as it did, she never realized she would love the position so much that she would contemplate staying in DC for the next few years. As she checked her luggage one last time, Annie pushed down her guilt. She had made her decision, and everyone was going to have to accept that.

Still, when Annie thought of Jeff and his confession that he loved her it felt wrong to do this to him; to abandon him so completely. Sure they had texted and talked on the phone while she had been in DC over the summer, but it hadn't been the same and he had sounded more than a little off. In fact, if Annie was being honest with herself, he sounded inebriated every time they talked. That was part of the reason Annie was going back. Two weeks earlier she had received a call from Britta during which she offhandedly mentioned that she, Frankie, and the dean were going to stage an intervention. Apparently, since she and Abed had left, Jeff had sought solace in scotch. Britta said that the group had barely seen him, and that the only reason she knew Jeff was drinking so much was because the dean had snuck into his apartment to check on him and was greeted by a plethora of empty bottles of scotch. When the dean had tried to confront him about it Jeff had been evasive, making some excuse about having thrown a party with people from his old office (Annie knew immediately when Britta had mentioned this that he had been lying; Jeff had hated the majority of the people from his old firm and Annie doubted he would invite them into his little apartment).

Annie sighed, shaking her head as she walked out of her apartment, carefully locking the door behind her. Throughout the ride to the airport Annie kept thinking about Jeff. She wondered how he would react when he saw her – she hadn't told him when she was coming back. She also worried about what he would do when she told him that she wasn't staying. Jeff had worrisome abandonment issues and Annie didn't want to exacerbate them by letting him know that she wouldn't be living in Greendale anymore. Still, she had made her decision and she would keep it. This job was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she wasn't going to waste it. She'd just have to figure out a way to break the news to him gently. He'd be fine, he was Jeff Winger! Annie tried to keep that in mind and she scrambled through the airport and got on her plane. She tried not to think about how devastated he had looked when she had said she would be gone for the summer during the flight. She tried even harder not to think of the feel of his lips on hers as her plane landed and neared the gate. Why did everything have to be so difficult between them? It had never been easy for them! Annie let out a frustrated noise at the thought as she walked through the airport exit. She stood on the street looking for a taxi – Abed was still in L.A., Britta had work, Frankie was with her sister, the dean was at his mother's, Chang was god knows where, and Jeff didn't know that she was here in the first place, which left Annie standing outside the airport looking for a ride home.

Once in the taxi Annie realized she didn't have a key to the apartment – Britta had changed the locks over the summer due to a break-in – and struggled finding a place for the taxi to go. She finally decided that she might as well visit Jeff first and get everything dramatic between them out of the way early in the week. Plus, she had missed him more than she would dare to admit. She loved him, more than she had ever loved anyone else, and being away from him the last three months had been harder than she had expected – especially once she realized he was struggling. She told the driver Jeff's address, praying that he was home so she wouldn't have to awkwardly wait outside his front door with her suitcase. Annie hesitated when they pulled up at the apartment complex. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to see him when she was jet lagged and tired from the plane ride; maybe talking to him now would create problems. She didn't have much time to revel in these thoughts though before the cabbie reminded her that the meter was still running and that he would like to get going unless she needed something else. Annie nodded, handed him some cash, pulled her suitcase out of the trunk, and proceeded to walk upstairs to Jeff's apartment building.

She froze in front of the door. What would she even say to him? Hi, I'm back but I'm not staying? Deciding that in this instance improvisation would probably be best, Annie rapped on the door praying that he would answer. She heard a muffle from inside and the jingling of bottles before he opened the door. She looked up at him, smiling sweetly and he looked back at her in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

"Annie?" Jeff asked as he looked down at her, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm back," She said, taking in his appearance. Jeff's usually well maintained look was more than a little disheveled; honestly, he looked like hell. His hair was overgrown and longer than Annie had ever seen it. His eyes were bloodshot and he had dark bags under them. He looked thinner than usual and smelled like a brewery. He was wearing a (dirty) white t-shirt and a pair of (equally dirty) pajama pants. To sum it up, Jeff Winger looked older and more worn down than Annie had ever seen him.

Jeff shook his head, attempting to rid it of the fog of alcohol. What the hell was she doing here? Why hadn't she told him she was coming back? He would've at least tried to look presentable, but now he was completely caught off guard. Looking Annie over, Jeff realized just how different their summers had been. She looked radiant, and her smile – which had faded noticeably upon seeing the state Jeff was in – had been just as strong as ever when he had opened the door. She looked beautiful and Jeff felt his breath catch in his throat. Realizing that she was standing in his hallway holding her suitcase he opened the door further, gesturing for her to come inside.

"Sorry the place is a bit of a mess," He said, closing the door behind him, "I wasn't expecting anyone."

Saying the place was 'a bit of a mess' was a pretty huge understatement, Annie thought as she surveyed the living room. Empty bottles of what looked like scotch and vodka (Jeff had always hated vodka – he must be desperate if he has been drinking it) were strewn across the place, covering practically every surface in the apartment. Annie gaped. How could he live like this? She glanced back at him, meeting his gaze. Jeff looked away quickly, trying to block out the anguished look she had given him. He could tell she was disappointed, and that pissed him off a bit. What did she think he'd been doing all summer? His friends (except for Britta, and he didn't need her shrinking his head) were all gone, off living adventures he could only dream about. And she was one of them. She had left him for DC and, though Jeff was glad she was able to live out her dream, it had hurt him pretty badly. She was the sunshine, hope, and positivity in his life; without her life was dull, grey, and pointless. He hadn't even been able to do what he would have done before – go out and sleep with new women every night – because he loved her to much to do that; every time he had even thought about it a wave of guilt would rush over him – how could he be with someone else when he had acknowledged his love for her?

So he resorted to his tried and true coping method – ingesting copious amounts of alcohol. So what if he felt a gnawing sensation in the back of his mind if he went too long between glasses? So what if he felt his eye twitch every time he ran out? This was a perfectly normal way to react to his situation, god-damn-it, and he was fine. He turned his head again, catching Annie's eyes, and was haunted by the look he saw there. She looked absolutely stunned and horrified. He turned away again, angrily marching over to the coffee table where he had left his latest glass of alcohol (he was pretty sure it was some kind of cheap-ass whisky, but he wasn't certain). He downed it all in one gulp, feeling Annie's eyes boring into him the whole time.

"What?" He asked as he turned around and looked at her again.

"Jeff," She said slowly as she walked over to the couch next to the coffee table and sat down, "maybe we should talk?" He huffed out an agreement, sitting next to her on the couch. Sitting here was the closest he had been to her in so long and Jeff couldn't help but scoot closer. God, he had missed her. Life wasn't the same without her, it couldn't be. She was such a strong personality, such an incredible force of nature, that once you were in her path your life would never be the same again.

"Jeff, you have a drinking problem."

He had been expecting her to mention his…habit, but he hadn't thought she would do it so bluntly.

"What?"

"You have a drinking problem. And don't lie to me, I of all people know what addiction looks like and this is it." Annie said as she gestured around the room, lingering on spots in which multiple empty bottles lay. Annie turned back towards him and saw him begin to inch away and recede within himself. Knowing she needed him to be at least a little receptive to what she was saying she scooted close to him and laid her hand down on his thigh. She smiled a bit upon hearing his slight gasp – at least he wasn't moving away anymore.

"Before you say anything, I'm not trying to corner you, I just want to help. I always wished someone had been there for me when I needed help, and I promised myself that if anyone else ever needed it I would be there – and I'm here Jeff. I'm here because I know much it hurts to feel alone, I know how difficult it is to not turn to a substance for – at the very least – a temporary respite. I know what you're going through, and I want to help you get through it." Annie paused, closing her eyes and taking a breath, "I care about you, Jeff. I always have and always will, which is why I'm here for you now. If you're going to recover you need support, and I want to give that to you."

Jeff just stared at her, a mass of emotions running through him, each vying for control. In the end, his exhaustion won out leaving him collapsing against the couch.

"I can't do it Annie," He said tiredly from his spot on the couch, "I don't have the energy to fight it – there isn't enough juice left in me."

"That's why I'm here. I'm here to support and give you my energy. Together we can push past this Jeff, you just have to let me help you." She said, tears forming in her eyes. She had expected him to say a lot of things to her, but admitting that he didn't have enough energy left to fight his addiction wasn't one of them. He had practically admitted defeat, and she knew that that despair and lack of energy could easily pull him over the edge. So she looked at him, tears in her eyes, and hoped that he had enough energy left in him to work with her to fight this. If he didn't she didn't know what she'd do. Forcing him into rehab wouldn't work, but leaving him to his own devices would end in tragedy. So she looked at him and willed Jeff to allow her to help him.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeff sighed wearily, rubbing his face and hair with his hand – a gesture that would normally have shocked Annie considering the time it took for him to style his hair and the damage the oil from his hands would wreck on his skin.

"I'll do it," He said, looking down at her hand on his thigh.

Annie smiled softly at him, and Jeff couldn't stop the small smile that graced his face. She had always had a way of making him smile – even when he was so depressed he thought it physically impossible. Without her, Jeff had few reasons to smile – there was an Annie shaped hole in his heart that no one but her could fill. She had come back though, and she filled the gap perfectly. She had come back to help him, and Jeff couldn't be more thankful. As he watched her rise from the couch and pull her luggage towards it, Jeff paused. If she was back in Greendale for good, where was all of her stuff? He began asking the question when he realized that it was probably being shipped back, and that there was no reason for him to bug her about it. She had obviously had a long day – he knew flying took a lot out of a person – and he felt that he'd rather talk to her about other things.

"So," he said as she sat back down on the couch and turned towards him, "how was DC?"

Annie's face lit up, and Jeff knew he had asked the right question.

"It was incredible! The internship was everything I had hoped it would be. I started off doing clerical work, but when they saw how hard I worked they let me look at some old case files. I got to read about so many cases, Jeff, and a ton of them were unsolved! About a month before the end of the internship they even let me work on an active case, and they put some of my findings and conclusions into the final report! Can you believe it?"

"Of course I can, Annie, you're awesome! It would take an idiot to not see how talented and dedicated you are. I'm surprised they haven't made you head of the FBI yet," he said with a wink. Annie made a noise of disagreement but blushed despite her protestations. Jeff smiled at her – he had missed this. The whole summer he had missed their conversations; had missed the way she ducked her head, smiled, and blushed every time someone paid her a compliment; had missed her tinkling laugh. In short, he had missed her. He had missed her with every part of his being. Who knew that he would fall more in love with her after she had left? He truly believed that for everyday she was gone, his love for her had grown exponentially. And the list of things he loved about her had grown as well: her smile, the smell and feel of her hair, her brilliant blue eyes, the way she whined at him and slapped him softly when he was annoying her, her determination to succeed, and her desire to bring out the best in others. As he watched her check something on her phone, he couldn't help but smile. She was there, right in front of him, and she was going to help him.

"So," he asked, "where do we start?"

"Well," Annie answered, leaning back against the couch, "we should get rid of the rest of the alcohol you have in the apartment – and at school. We should also probably find you an AA group. We'll figure out the rest from there."

Jeff nodded, but inwardly felt sick. How was he going to survive without his scotch? His face must have betrayed his train of thought because, before he knew it, Annie had scooted up next to him and had laid her hand comfortingly across his own. He looked down at the top of her head as she leaned into his shoulder, and realized that as long as Annie was there with him he could make it through anything. She was his rock, and her support was what he needed to pull himself out of the haze he had been in throughout the summer. He laid his head on top of hers, and Annie let out a contented sigh. She really was exhausted, and Jeff's presence was warm and comforting and one she had missed for far too long. So she rested against him, and slowly let herself drift to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When she woke her head was tucked in between Jeff's shoulder and his head. From the soft snores she heard coming out of his mouth, Annie concluded that he was still asleep. She smiled and burrowed her head deeper into his shoulder, inhaling deeply. He smelled like alcohol and sweat, but more importantly he smelled like Jeff. He was an idiot, and he was normally a huge jerk, but he was hers and she loved him. Being apart for three months had allowed her to push her feelings for him to the back of her mind, but being with him again brought them all to the forefront of her brain. How was she going to be able to leave him again? Especially when he was in the midst of an addiction to alcohol. He needed her! Annie pushed those thoughts aside though, repeating her mantra "I have opportunities in DC" over and over again in her head. When Jeff let out a louder snore though, Annie couldn't help but giggle and affectionately stroke his thigh.

"I love you," she whispered, her breath ghosting across his neck. Annie froze as Jeff turned a bit and grumbled in his sleep. She might love him, but she wasn't quite ready to say those three little words to a conscious Jeff. If she told him she loved him, it would undoubtedly change things between them. She wouldn't be able to leave him for DC as easily if she knew he knew she loved him. It wouldn't be right to do that to either of them – if she told him, she would have to commit to being with him. For now, she'd have to keep her feelings to herself – she snorted a bit at the irony of her being the one hiding feelings from Jeff, it had so often been the other way around. Her snort, though muffled by his shoulder, had alerted Jeff to her presence and had left him blinking sleepily and mumbling something under his breath.

"What?" Annie asked, poking him softly in the ribcage.

"Annie?" He mumbled with a confused look on his face. As he shook his head and watched her smirk up at him, his confusion faded. In its place, a headache began to form – indicated by the slow pounding he felt near his temples. Ugh, he needed some scot— _oh shit_ , he thought as he remembered his decision to quit drinking. What was he going to do now? When he glanced at Annie, who had moved from her resting place on his shoulder to the opposite side of the couch, he groaned. How was he going to keep this promise? When she turned to look at him and smiled her (what he liked to call) Jeff smile, he figured he'd have to at least try. She deserved better than this mopey version of him, and dammit he was going to do his best to give her what she deserved – no matter what. So he smiled back, hoping his face hadn't betrayed his inner conflict. When she stood and put her hand out to help him up off the couch, Jeff's thoughts shifted to the morning's prospects. Annie was here, in his apartment with him, and he'd be damned if he didn't spend as much time as possible with her.

"So, do you want some breakfast?" He asked accepting her help off the couch.

"That depends," She said inclining her head towards the kitchen, "do you have anything that's edible and _not_ protein powder in there?"

"Um, come to think of it probably not. I think there were some egg whites in the fridge last time I checked, but that might've been a couple days ago…"

"Jeff!" Annie shouted, slapping his shoulder, "Are you crazy? Have you been eating at all?"

"Of course I've been eating, Annie!" Jeff said looking affronted, "I'm not an idiot."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Uh…"

"Jeff!"

"I don't know, a day or two ago?" he said looking slightly abashed, "I've been kind of out of it the last couple months."

"I see that," she said looking around the room, "how about this, we clean this place up and get rid of every bottle and then we can grab breakfast at that low-calorie, high-protein café place you like?"

"Sounds like a plan," he said as he grabbed a couple bottles off the coffee table, "though I should probably shower and shave before being in public."

"I agree," Annie nodded as she glanced over at him, "you kind of look like a disheveled hermit."

Jeff snorted as he grabbed a trash bag from the kitchen.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome," She said with a soft chuckle as she began picking bottles up off the coffee table.

A half hour later, Annie flopped down on the couch and exhaled loudly.

"Jeez Jeff, that was ridiculous! We must've collected over thirty bottles!"

In response, Jeff just grumbled something from the bathroom where he was getting ready to take his shower. Annie pulled her phone out of her purse and occupied herself with it till she heard the water turn off and a shout from Jeff.

"I can't hear you! What's wrong?" She asked as she stood up off the couch and began walking towards the bathroom.

"I said, I need you to get me a towel. There aren't any clean ones in here."

"You should've checked before you took your shower…"

"Annie!" He pleaded through the door, "Please just get me one out of the hall closet. If you don't, I'll have to, and I really don't think you'll want to see that."

"Fine, I'll find you one." Annie said with a chuckle as she walked to the hall closet. Annie shook her head as she grabbed a towel out of the closet, little did Jeff know that she'd been fighting her desire to see him naked again since that pool class he took freshman year, though – for the sake of not inflating his stupidly large ego even more – she planned to keep that to herself.

"I've got the towel," she said as she knocked on the door. A second later Jeff's head popped out and began dripping water all over the floor.

"Thanks Annie," he said as he opened the door a bit more so he could grab the towel from her. Annie's thoughts were elsewhere though as she eyed his exposed chest, which was dripping with water as well. In fact, she was so focused she was able to trace the path of one droplet of water as it trailed down his chest and began descending into uncharted territory.

"Ahem"

Annie's head snapped up at the sound, only to see a cocky Jeff smiling at her.

"My face is up here."

Annie made a spluttering sound and shoved the towel into his hand, turning away before the blush had a chance to spread across her face. How was it possible for him to shake her up so much without actually doing anything? She was a mature adult, and yet with Jeff she had a terrible tendency to react like a hormonal teenage girl. She was an adult, and he knew that and had acknowledged it, yet she still found herself straddling the line between love-struck teenager and knowledgeable adult. It wasn't like she had never seen a man naked before either! God, she may care about Jeff but that didn't mean she had been celibate in DC. Even with her experiences with other men, Jeff was able to make her flustered in a matter of minutes. Trying to push thoughts of a shirtless Jeff out of her mind, Annie sat back on the couch, glowering at her phone until Jeff entered the room.

"Ready to go get some food?" He said as he grabbed his wallet off the coffee table.

Annie was impressed; he had cleaned up really well and looked much more like the Jeff Winger she had left behind three months before.

"You're not going to bring up what happened outside the bathroom?" She asked as she stood up and grabbed her purse.

"I wasn't planning on it. We're both mature adults. Plus, I understand how difficult it can be resisting the Winger charm – I am a work of art." He added with a devilish grin.

Annie groaned and shook her head, but smiled the whole time. She had missed hanging out with him and his big ego, and was looking forward to the time they would be able to spend together.

"Let's go," She said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the front door.


End file.
